A food blog of original, kitchen tested recipes with easy to follow instructions.

Eat!

Eating is a necessity. However, we choose what to eat. The choices we make reveal a great deal about us. The food you eat can tell quite a bit about your heritage, your family, your fears, your sense of adventure, your attitude toward yourself and others, and a myriad of other personal tidbits to anyone paying attention. Everything about eating is a glimpse into your soul.

I hope to reveal a little bit about myself to you through my food. I enjoy cooking. I enjoy eating. I find pleasure in bringing pleasure to others. I hope that by sharing my recipes I bring you a little bit of joy.

Cook my food. Feed it to the people you love.

Sunday, January 22, 2017

Someone once said,
after reading over this blog, “These recipes are certainly unassuming.” I don’t
think she meant it as a compliment. At times, I do enjoy preparing complicated
dishes with ingredients that I don’t normally keep in the pantry. (See Filet Mignon with Lobster Thermidor) But most
of the time, I am just making dinner. I think most of you are, too.

This is one of those
times. My plan was to make something reminiscent of a grilled burger in a casserole.
Cheeseburger Pasta is pretty tasty. You could change this depending upon your
family’s tastes. Add bacon and a little BBQ sauce to make a Bacon Cheeseburger
Pasta. If you like Mushroom Swiss Burgers then stir a tablespoon of Worcestershire
into the cheese sauce, add chopped mushroom and switch the cheddar for Swiss. Also,
this tastes great as leftovers and freezes well.

Also, I’ve made a
change in the way I time my meals. ‘Cooking time’ is just what it says. ‘Active
time’ includes cooking and prepping and tells you the amount you will spend in
the kitchen. ‘Dinner in’ lets you know how long it will take for you to get
dinner on the table.

Servings: 8 -10

Hardware:A cutting board and knives, measuring spoons
and cups, a can opener, a skillet, a large pot, a colander, a rubber spatula, a
13 x 9-inch glass baking dish

3 cups cheese sauce (buy it where you purchase pasta sauces
or make your own)

1 can of Original Ro-Tel-drained

1 cup beef broth

2 cups shredded Cheddar cheese

Cooking spray

Optional: 2 large tomatoes, seeded and chopped, 3 green
onions

Pre-heat the oven to 375˚. Chop the onion. Chop and seed the
tomato and green onions if you are using them. Open and drain the Ro-Tel.

Cook the pasta following package directions. Drain.

While the pasta is boiling, cook and crumble the ground
chuck over medium heat. Sprinkle in the mustard, paprika, salt, cumin and
garlic powder. Add the onion and cook until the meat is no longer pink. This
should take about 7 minutes.

Stir the beef, pasta, Ro-Tel, cheese sauce and broth together.
I just use the pot I cooked the pasta in.

Spray the baking dish with cooking spray. Put the pasta
mixture into it. Top with the shredded cheese. If you want, you can sprinkle on
the green onions and tomatoes. Bake for 30 minutes or until the edges are
bubbling. Rest for 10 minutes before serving.

Sunday, January 8, 2017

A cold front moved
through the south this weekend. It snowed in Atlanta and dropped to 29˚ here. Blankets,
hot chocolate and comfort food are called for when it drops below freezing in Florida.
My recipe for Baked Chicken with Sausage and Potatoes will comfort
everyone-guests because it is so delicious and the cook because it is so easy
to make.

I used thighs because
they add a richer flavor and were on sale. You could use breast if you wish,
but make sure to adjust the cooking time. You could also throw in carrots,
fresh green beans or mushrooms (or all three) with the potatoes. The vinegar
can be omitted or replaced with wine or lemon juice. It just adds a little tang
that I find pleasant. I also like to amp the flavor up and use more oregano and
spicy sausage!

Chicken and Sausage with Potatoes

Servings: 4-6

Time:Prep: 10 minutesCooking:40-45 minutes

Hardware:A cutting board and knife, measuring spoons and
cups, an oven mitt, a skillet that can be used on top of the stove and in the
oven, a large wooden spoon, a slotted spoon, a serving dish, a whisk and a
thermometer

Ingredients:

1 ½ pound boneless, skinless chicken thighs

Salt& pepper

Oil for the bottom of the pan

1 pound baby potatoes

1 small onion (4-6 ounces)

½ pound ground breakfast sausage (I used spicy)

3 cloves garlic

1 tablespoon oregano

1 teaspoon marjoram

2 tablespoons butter

2 tablespoons flour

1 ½ cups liquid (1 used chicken broth)

A splash of apple cider vinegar

2 tablespoons of something green for garnish (I used parsley,
but you could use chives, green onions or even finely minced celery)

Pre-heat the oven to 350˚. Pour enough oil into the bottom
of the skillet to completely cover it.

Mince the herbs and garlic. Scrub and half the potatoes.
Quarter the onion. Separate the onion layers. Toss everything into the skillet,
lightly salt and place it into the oven for 15 minutes. This is necessary
because the potatoes take longer to cook than the meat does.

Cut the thighs into large pieces (the size of golf balls) and
salt & pepper liberally. Separate the sausage so that it isn’t one big
clump.

Carefully remove the skillet from the oven. Stir carefully. Toss
in the chicken and sausage. Sprinkle on the herbs. Bake for 25-30 minutes or
until a thermometer inserted into a piece of chicken reads 165˚.

Carefully remove the skillet from the oven. Using the
slotted spoon, remove everything from the skillet and into the large serving bowl. Break
up the sausage. Don’t worry if little bits stick to the skillet. You want
that.

Place the skillet on the stove over medium high to melt the
butter. Whisk in the flour, scraping all the stuck on brown bits. Slowly add
the liquid, whisking the whole time. Make sure to scrap the sides and bottom of
the skillet. Stir in the splash of vinegar. This should create a gravy. Taste
and adjust the salt. Pour the gravy over the meat and potatoes in the serving
bowl.

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About Me

I am a teacher living in Florida. I love teaching and I also love to cook. This blog combines those two loves. My recipes are very detailed because I am not making any assumptions about my readers' cooking experience. I want my blog to encourage even new cooks to be brave in the kitchen.